I'm Proud To Be An American, Where At Least I Have A/C

Why the French Embrace Life Without Air Conditioning

In early August, France was plagued by a heatwave. Fortunately, my husband and I were vacationing in the southwest near the sea, where ocean breezes provided some relief.

However, our vacation rental didn't have a fan, so we headed to the nearest E. Leclerc (the French version of Walmart) to buy one for €30. Others had a similar idea; many people had a fan or two in their shopping cart. It makes sense that people might purchase an extra fan or two during a heatwave.

But in France, many people don't have fans or air conditioning, and a surprising number are opposed to both.

Now, before rushing to your keyboard to say, “But Americans use too much A/C, and I hate air blowing in my face,” I agree. I see no reason to keep an office or movie theater at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm referring to situations with no air conditioning, no fans, and temperatures creeping up to 95 degrees.

Also, I grew up on a farm in Iowa. I recall doing farmwork when the heat index was around 100 degrees.

I've heard many French and American women complain that they can't get work done during heatwaves, their kids are uncomfortable, and the heat is unbearable. Even the French will complain, drenched in sweat, about the stifling hot temperatures.

Renowned food writer and chef David Leibovitz has noted, “… the métro, which can be downright intolerable in the summer. Especially when it's jammed full and your face is directly in some dudes hairy armpit who forgot to take his weekly shower. but you can't move. Most of the buses aren't air-conditioned (except I got on the #63 recently, and it was un peu de paradis), nor is the RER from the airport, which is downright miserable in the summer and you should avoid it. Spring for a cab or a shuttle.”

In 2023, I heard a woman say that she runs a cool bath in the afternoons and lets her two toddlers splash in the tub for hours. Another woman said she sleeps on a mat meant to keep dogs cool. Yes, she sleeps on a dog mat. La joie de vivre?

And yet, A/C and fans remain the enemy.

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Why don't the French have A/C?

There are endless possibilities, but I believe the three main reasons are cost, cultural beliefs, and environmental concerns.

First, the cost. Electricity is costly in France compared to the US. Average salaries are lower than in America, “The average annual salary in the US, according to OECD data from 2022, is $77,463, equal to €72,884, significantly higher than both France (€41,592)…” and the per capita GDP in France is about $47,000 – roughly the same as Vermont, North Carolina, and Tennessee each. It stands to reason that many French cannot afford air conditioning, or perhaps it is not a priority in their budget.

Second, the deadly courant d'air (draft). Many French people believe that wind or air currents make them sick. As the delightful blog Snippets of Paris notes, “One of the top TV stations in France, LCI, even advises against sleeping with the fan on, lest that dreaded courant d'air makes one ill. And here you thought it was germs that made you sick when it was actually that stray gust of wind.” Once, a French person looked me dead in the eye and told me I could not turn a fan on in the summer lest I get a cold.

Lastly, they've been told repeatedly that A/C is bad for the environment. In an interview, Mark Radka, Chief of the Energy and Climate Branch of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), said, “Cooling is a big contributor to global warming. Much of the existing cooling equipment uses hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, which are potent greenhouse gases and use a lot of energy, making them a double burden for climate change.” I doubt A/C is good for the environment. But I want to push on this point a bit.

China, India, and the United States emit the most greenhouse gases. According to the International Energy Agency, the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions are coal, oil, and natural gas.

I believe Radka's research is interpreted as “Your A/C unit causes global warming"—a message akin to, “You can't afford a home because you buy avocado toast.” To be clear, I do not believe that is what Radka is saying, but in my experience, the message has been received this way. In one Facebook group, a young woman said, “I can't stand the heat in my apartment, but I don't want to get A/C because the hot air pushed outside causes global warming.”

To be clear, there is an impact. A UNICEF report states, “The energy supply needed for artificial air conditioning generates about 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, twice as much as the entire aviation industry.” So, A/C does contribute to environmental issues. But it is not the sole reason, and our efforts to save the planet are better spent elsewhere.

I don't blame the French. I genuinely think they've been told that air conditioning is bad for the environment and too expensive (which is true) and that Paris, in particular, has done little to make the city more tolerable in the heat.

And it has been deadly.

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Heat-related Deaths

France 24 reported that in 2003, “More than 70,000 people died as a result, with over 15,000 of those deaths recorded in France alone. Temperatures in Paris climbed above 40°C for weeks on end.” With a cultural resistance to fans and A/C (and ice), it is of little surprise that many didn't survive the stifling heat.

Sadly, deaths from heat exhaustion also occurred in 2023, “More than 5,000 people died in France as a result of searing summer heat last year,” health authorities reported on February 8. “The summer of 2023, marked by four heatwaves including in August and September, was the fourth hottest on record in France.” That summer, I spent weeks on end in a sweltering apartment doing Zoom media appearances and business meetings, drenched in sweat.

According to UNICEF, “Epidemiologic studies have shown that having household air conditioning reduces the risk of heat-related deaths by approximately 75 percent compared to those without it.” We needn't keep our homes at 60 degrees in July. A portable A/C or a fan could save lives.

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How the French stay cool during a heatwave

A popular solution is to open the windows at night, letting in cool air when temperatures drop to around 70 degrees. Then, around 10 a.m., they shut the windows to “trap” the cool air. Sometimes, they'll close the shutters to prevent sunlight from “baking” the apartment. So, you sit in a dark room for a week during a heatwave.

My pre-heatwave checklist:

• Do laundry in advance; otherwise, it adds humidity to the house when it dries indoors.

• Place water bottles in the fridge.

• Make ice cubes.

• Buy fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and pre-made gazpacho to avoid using the oven or stove during the heatwave.

• Ensure a screen is installed on the bedroom window to prevent mosquitos (most French homes don't have screens, so mosquitos are a problem at night).

The heatwaves are bad—what can be done on a larger scale?

The temperatures over the last few summers and the death counts suggest that something must be done. EuroNews says that Paris, in particular, is becoming a greenhouse: “The French capital is known for its iconic architecture, but its beloved wide boulevards and zinc-top roofs act as a "heat sink" in extreme weather.” The streets, old buildings, and even some new buildings have turned the City of Light into a mini-greenhouse in the summer.

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So what can be done?

Green spaces offer a beautiful and environmentally friendly way to lower temperatures. Planting trees provides shade and can cool the area. A report from Vector Renewables says, “Small green spaces such as parks, gardens, and trees have a natural cooling effect since the different plants and trees absorb solar radiation and release water vapor through a process called transpiration. This process cools the air around the plant and can reduce local temperatures by up to 5 degrees Celsius.” This means that trees, gardens, and parks can lower the surrounding temperature from 100 degrees Fahrenheit to about 90 degrees. Ninety degrees is still hot, but that difference is not insignificant. Paris is known for its gorgeous parks like Luxembourg Garden, so why not capitalize on that?

As most of us know, proper insulation, roofing, and windows can make a difference. However, the EU lags in this regard: “Roughly 75% of EU buildings are energy inefficient, and countries are now looking to retrofit old buildings to prevent a costly leakage of heat.” Parisian buildings are no exception. The gorgeous Haussmannian buildings—those stereotypical Parisian structures with cute balconies and beautiful facades—are stifling in the summer and freezing in the winter.

“Triple-glazed” windows can keep out both heat and cold. Triple glazing means the window has three panes, each with an air gap between them. These gaps “buffer” cold air in the winter, and in the summer, the panes reduce the amount of solar radiation entering a room.

Gardens, trees, and triple-glazed windows may help take the edge off during Paris's increasingly common hot summers.

But, with climbing temperatures, the French may need to rethink their stance on fans and air conditioning. In the meantime, a fan at E. Leclerc costs about €40. A portable A/C unit starts at around €300. A good night's sleep and pleasant afternoons? Now that's la joie de vivre.

Title: Still Life with Teapot and Fruit

Artist: Paul Gauguin (French, Paris 1848–1903 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands)

Date: 1896

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 18 3/4 x 26 in. (47.6 x 66 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: The Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection, Gift of Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg, 1997, Bequest of Walter H. Annenberg, 2002

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